Carrier apparatus



(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. SMITH.

CARRIER APPARATUS.

No. 332,959. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

van/Z021 I w Jazz/2.

(No Model.) 4 Shets-Sheet 2.

H SMITH CARRIER APPARATUS.

No. 332,959. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

.Zh-u an Z071 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. SMITH.

GARRIER APPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

N, PETERS. Phomiflhagmpher. Waihinglun. D. C.

(No Model.)

71 0Zness6s.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. H. SMITH.

CARRIER APPARATUS, No. 332,959. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

hvcwlar, Hen e 5%?! El.

N. PETERS. Phulo-Llllwgrapher. Washingmn. D4 0.

a f UNITED STATESPATENT ()FFrcE.

the elevator-carriage frame.

HERVEY SMITH, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARRIER-APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,959, dated December22, 1885.

Application filed October 13, 1885. Serial No. 179,813. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that ,I, HERVEY SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Carrier Apparatus; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to conveyer devices such as are used in storesfor carrying packages,ca. h,&c., and for otherlike purposes; and itconsists in certain improvements in the construction thereof, which willbe hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as follows:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a receiving and dispatching stationona conveyer-line. It shows the upper track,which grades toward thecentral station the lower track, which grades from the central station;the dispatching-switch, by which cars are sent from the way station ontothe upper track; the receiving switch, by which cars are shunted fromthelowertrack at thesalesmans-station, and the elevator, by which carsare let down onto the counter and raised up and transferred onto thedispatching-switch. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the lower main track, andthe receiving-switch and elevator at one of the way-stations. Fig.' 3 isan end view of a car on the track, the track being in vertical section.Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the track. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of the parts forming the track. Fig. 6 is a plan or topView of Fig. 7 is alike view of an elevator-carriage frame adapted to asingle bar, while the one shown in Fig. 6 is for two bars. Fig. 8 is atop or plan view of a car. Fig. 9 is a side view of a car. Fig. 14

is a like view to Fig. 9, showing modifications of construction. Fig. 15is a like view to Fig.

3, showing modifications of construction. Fig.

10 is a top View of a curve in the track. Fig.

11 is a like view, showing details of construction. Fig. 12 is asideview of the curve. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a piece of curvedtrack. Figs. 16 and 17 show modifications in the construction of thetrack.

The first part of my invention relates to the construction of the track.

The second feature of my invention relates to the construction of thecar.

The third part of my invention relates to the construction of theelevator, and there are further minor features.

A conveyer-track for store-service,which is formed of a taut wire,possesses the advantage of being easily supported, as it does notrequire so many supports as a track formed of bars; but, on the otherhand, a bar-track is often more desirable than a taut-wire track,because it can be cut at the switches to admit of the passage across itof the wheel-flanges as the car goes onto the switch.

In a pending application for a patent filed by me I have shown a switchfor a taut-wire track which has two pieces clamped upon the wire at theswitch-point, on which is formed atrack above the wire; but I did not inthat application illustrate the formation of a whole line of track bybars clamped upon a taut wire, as I now do; nor did I claim, broadly,such a track, as I shall now do.

- In the drawings, A marks the main tracks, and A the switch-tracks.There is a slight difference in the construction of these tracks. Themain' track, however, may be made the same as the switch-track. The maintrack is formed of a taut wire, a, and two bars, a a,

which are bolted together upon the wire a. (See Figs. 4 and 5for detailsof construction.) The central wire may be flattened, as shown, orotherwise formed to prevent the two bars a turning on it.

In Figs. 10, 11, and 12 the method of forming a curve is shown. It willbe seen that the taut wire a marks the turn by an angular bend, and acurved piece of track, A is put in and connected with the straighttrack. These curves A and the switches A may be made of a single barbent to proper form; but

I prefer to use a central bar of iron, a bent g to proper form,with theside pieces, cc, of

wood, bolted to it. (See Figs. 1, 11, and 13.)

Figs. 10, 11, and 12 show clearly the manner of attaching a curve trackto the wire a. It is cut out on the side at the ends, so as to slip ontothe wire, and fish-plates f are bolted onto the sides of the track atthe joint between the s i curved and the straight bar. A tongue, of, maybe left on the straight track to fill the groove cut in the side of thecurved track, as seen in Figs. 11 and 12.

In Figs. 16 and 17 I show modified constructions. In Fig. 16 the track Ais of one piece properly formed to receive the carwheels, and is cut outon the side to receive the wire a, and then a fish-plate, f, is boltedover the wire outside the track-bar. In Fig. 17 the track is all ofwood, or may be.

If the track is to be used with cars having double-flanged wheels, thecentral piece will be wider than the outside pieces; but when the car isprovided with a double tread and asingle flange, as shown in thedrawings, the central piece will be narrower than the outside pieces, asshown.

When a track is made all of wood,it will be far less liable to warp andbreak if made of three parts than when made of one piece.

In a conveyer apparatus of this type it is very desirable to constructthe track with a groove and provide the cars with wheels having acentral flange, as shown, and I prefer to have the track grooved both ontop and on the bottom, and use upper and lower wheels on the cars. YVhcnthus constructed, I prefer to make the lower groove, g, wider than theupper one, or else make the flanges on the lower wheels narrower thanthose on the upper wheels, which would produce the same effect. Theobject in this variation in size is to allow the car a chance to swing alittle. The advantages of a grooved track and centrally-flanged wheelsover a track which is embraced by the flanges of the wheels is that thewheels can have a wide-faced tread and will run with less friction onthe rail. When the wheels are grooved and embrace the track, there is aconstant friction on the inside of the flanges of the wheels; but theprincipal advantage is that at the switches the track does not have tobe cut across for the outside flanges on the car-wheels to get acrossit, and hence cars will run over the switch-frog when passing a switchwithout jar or noise.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seen that only one of the facesof the rail has to be cut across at the switch-points, and this may befilled with a switch-tongue, S, as shown; but if it is preferred toswitch the car by some other means than a switch-tongue and the cut isnot filled it will make no difl'erence, for the passing cars will havean unbroken track-face on both sides of the wheels, and hence will runperfectly smooth over the frog. I prefer to widen the track on the sidenext the end of the switch-track, as at a. This is for the purpose ofgiving good length to the branch groove before the space a between themain and the side track is reached, and also to give abearing for wheelswhen passing by the switch, which construction is thesame as is shownand claimed in a companion application filed October 5, 1885. I also putan enlargement on the outside of the side track, so as to widen the faceof the track on that side at the diverging point.

The construction of the car is illustrated in Figs. 3, 8, 9, 14, and 15.It will be seen to consist of a frame with wheels, which is variedsomewhat in the two forms shown; but this variation is of small account,the difference being to illustrate that there may be one or two wheelsbelow the track, and also that the wheels below the track need not beflanged.

The novel features in the construction of the car are First, that itstrolley embraces the three unobstructed sides of the track, and that itswheels are made with a central flange, d, and side tread-faces, d d, andit will be observed that the side treads, (Z d, are wide. The rule ofconstruction should be to make the side treads so wide that each ofthem, to-

gether with the flange, shall be considerably wider than the widestpoint in the groove in the track at the switch-frogs, so that a car inrunning onto a switch will have its wheels always bearing on each sideon the track-faces. Where a switch-tongue is used, this is not soimportant; but when the switching is effected by other means than aswitch-tongue it is very important.

Second, that the standard E, on which the forward wheels are journaled,is pivoted in the frame of the car, as seen at e e in Fig. 9. There arelugs c on the frame-pieces F F, and faces a on the standard E, forlimiting the pivotal movement of the standard. The object in hav'mg thisstandard pivoted is to make the ear take to the switch and curves moreeasily. On the top of the standard E is a bar, e, and over the switchesare guards G G, (see Fig. 1,) between which this bar has to pass as thecar runs onto the switch. The object of these parts is to prevent theforward wheels being turned into the space (0* when the car is runningoff onto the switch. I put another similar bar, 6, on the back end ofthe frame, whichoperates in the same manner when the car is sent from aswitch onto the main track. On the car is a tender, T, for opening theswitch; but this forms no part of the present invention, it being shownin a pending application.

The third part of -my invention relates to the elevator-carriage, andconsists in providing it with friction-rollers, so it will not bind onthe elevator-tracks B. In Figs. 1, 2, and 6 I show an elevator-carriageadapted to two upright tracks, and in Fig. 7 I show it adapted to asingle upright track. 0 is the frame of the carriage, and c are thefriction-rollers,

which are arranged in the part of the cars riage-frame O which embracesthe track B. There are three friction-rollers on each side of thecarriage at each bearing-point, one bearing on the edge. of the trackand the other two on the sides. It will thus be seen that there cannotpossibly be any binding of the carriage on the track, nor will there beany friction in moving it upon the track.

A further improvement in the elevator is the device for stopping theelevator opposite the end of the switch -track. It consists of the twopivoted catches a c, which will enter holes in the sides of theelevator-track B. They are kept depressed by springs 0 and are movedagainst the springs by the cord 0, which passes over pulleys on theelevator, as shown. The cord is long enough to be within reach when theelevator is at the point shown in Fig. 1.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a carrier apparatus, the combination, with a track having itssupports attached to only one of its vertical sides, leaving its otherthree sides unobstructed, and having its upper face grooved centrally,of a car-trolley which embraces the three unobstructed sides of saidtrack, has its upper wheels centrally flanged, and operates against boththe upper and lower faces of the track, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. In a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, witha car having two sets of centrally-flanged wheels, one for running onthe top and the other on the bottom of the track, of atrack having upperand lower centrally-grooved faces.

3. In a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, witha car having two sets of centrally-flanged wheels, one for running onthe top and the other on the bottom of the track, of a track having anarrow groove in upper face and a wide groove in its lower face.

4. A carrier-apparatus track consisting of three parallel parts clampedtogether, the central part being of such a width and so placed as togive the track-faces the proper form to receive the flanges of thecar-wheels.

- 5. A carrier-apparatus track consisting of three parallel partsclamped together,of which one is of metal.

6. In a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, witha main track, of curved sections of track for switches or bends in themain track, which are made of a bent bar of iron with side pieces ofother material clamped thereto.

7. In the track of a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, thecombination, with a taut wire, of bars having thereon the treadfaces forthe car-wheels,.which are clamped upon the said taut wire.

8. In the track of a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, thecombination, with a taut wire, of two parallel wooden bars clamped uponsaid taut wire, said bars being properly shaped to form the tread-facesfor the carwheels.

9. In a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination, witha track having a central groove and branch grooves at the switch-points,of a car with wheels having a central flange, d, and side threads, (Z(1, each of which, together with the flange (l, is wider than the widestpoint in the track-groove at the switch-point.

10. In a carrier-apparatus car, substantially as shown, the combination,with the frame of the trolley, of a pivoted standard having thereon oneof the wheels of the trolley, whereby said wheel can be turned at anangle to the other wheel of the trolley.

11. In a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination,with a car having the pivoted standard E, bearing one of the wheels ofthe car, and the bar 6 at the upper end of said standard, of the guardsG G at the switchpoints, substantially as shown,and for the pur- 8 0poses mentioned.

12. In a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination,with a switch-track having adjusted thereon the guards G G, of a carhaving on its frame the guide-bar 6', substantially as shown, and forthe purposes set forth.

13. In a carrier apparatus, substantially as shown, the combination,with the elevatortrack, of an elevator-carriage frame which embracessaid track, and is provided at the embracing-points withfriction-rollers c c 0, arranged substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

In testimony whereof I affix myv signature 5 in presence of twowitnesses.

HERVEY SMITH.

Witnesses:

JNO. K. HALLOOK, RoBr. H. PORTER.

